Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:09] Welcome back to another edition of the weekday podcast. I'm so grateful you're here. Last month here at Sugar Hill Church, we had this whole month that was around mulligans. And so today I want to talk about this idea that the part of a mulligan of starting over is when life feels overwhelming. Maybe you've made plans, maybe you set goals, maybe you've picked a word of the year, and yet you're halfway or more than halfway through the year and you're feeling well. The good news is you don't have to fix everything at once. You just need to take the next right step. And that's what today's podcast is all about. The power of one small step. You know, in scripture, there's a lot of metaphors, and one of the metaphors is about the wisdom of the ant.
[00:00:47] Now, I'm going to be honest. Nobody wakes up excited to be compared to an ant. But that's exactly what Proverbs 6 does. And surprisingly, it's not an insult. It's actually an invitation. Here's what it says in Proverbs 6. Go to the ant, you lazy one.
[00:01:01] He's calling us to pay attention to something small and to something consistent. Now, ants aren't powerful. They're not flashy. But they are wise. They move. They prepare. They act without being forced. And in a culture addicted to dramatic turnarounds, we underestimate the power of daily faithfulness. But God doesn't. And what feels small to us is often sacred to God. Now, one of the things that you find is that momentum comes from movement. There's something powerful about taking action, even a small one. We often say, when I feel motivated, then I'll act. But that's actually backwards. Action leads to momentum. Momentum builds motivation. The first workout leads to the second. The first prayer opens the door for a deeper connection. The first hard conversation starts the healing process. So don't underestimate what God can do through one faithful, small step. Don't wait till you feel ready. Move while you feel unsure. And that brings us to the gift of progress over perfection.
[00:01:57] Perfection is often paralyzing. If you think you have to get it all right, you'll never start. But progress is actually empowering. One small act of obedience, one simple step, can build a new pattern. The ant prepares in the summer and gathers in the harvest. It doesn't do everything in one day. It simply does what needs to be done that day. And that's how God invites us to live. Not rushed, not lazy, but steadily moving forward.
[00:02:21] So that brings us to where we start, and this is where it gets super practical. Think about your word of the year. Or think about some area of your life that you want to grow. Now ask what is one small step I can take this week, for instance. If your word is peace, maybe it's to turn off your phone for 30 minutes and sit with God in silence. Or maybe your word is discipline and you want to set your alarm 10 minutes earlier to read one chapter of Proverbs every single day. Or maybe your word's joy and you want to write down three things you're grateful for each day.
[00:02:50] You can't finish today, but you can start. And starting is sacred. So this week I'm going to encourage you. Don't try to overhaul your life. Just look for one thing you can do. One text that you can send, one boundary you can set, one prayer you can pray, one habit you can build, then do it again the next day. The ant isn't oppressive, but it certainly is effective, and so are you when you walk in simple faithfulness. Proverbs 6. It reminds us that small acts of obedience lead to harvest.
[00:03:19] Don't despise the day of small beginnings. That's where God does his best work. Small steps in the same direction actually lead to a God honoring life. You don't have to sprint, you don't have to hustle. But you do have to move. And so let's do that today, one step at a time. Have a great day. We'll see you back here soon for another edition of the weekday podcast.
[00:03:48] Sam.
